As you know, those "glitches" in our elections are never Diebold's fault, or that of any of the Electronic Voting Machine Vendors who supply the equipment that doesn't actually work. It's always an untrained pollworker, or a voter who didn't read the instructions, or too darn much humidity.

So it wasn't Diebold's fault when Diebold's machines failed to work or to count absentee ballots by the thousands on Tuesday in Cuyahoga County, Ohio's Primary Election.

First of all, electronic optical scanners made by Diebold could not count absentee ballots. But Diebold said it was an issue with the printing of the ballots, not their machines.

Secondly, some precincts have more machines on the blink that those that were working. This was due in part to dozens of Election Day technicians, or EDTs, not showing up on Tuesday.

The EDTs are volunteers trained to fix any problems with the electronic Diebold voting machines.
...
Mark Radke, a spokesman for Diebold, said, "In fact, we went out to some of the precincts to direct some of the poll openings because some people didn't show up. Within two or three minutes with a little direction, people would have had the equipment up and running with no problem at all."

As of 5pm Wednesday, Cuyahoga County was still hand-counting the 17,000 absentee ballots which the Diebold machines, through absolutely no fault of Diebold's, were unable to count as Diebold had promised.

No word yet on whose fault it wasn't that Diebold's paper-trail printers kept jamming all day, or on the 70 Diebold memory cards (otherwise known as thousands and thousands of ballots) which went missing. But we know that wasn't Diebold's fault either. Though perhaps the part about them being so incredibly easy for anybody to change the data on those cards in about 30 seconds while they're "missing" could be Diebold's fault.

For Noesis: If the copier in your office keeps jamming, and your boss refuses to fix or replace it, he or she is a fool, wouldn't you agree? Shouldn't you be looking for a new job? Why continue working for such a clod?

The issue isn't whether every election machine is perfect. It goes way beyond that. The companies making these machines are corrupt, as witnessed by the criminal history of their founders and the recent resignation of Wally O'Dell at the same time Diebold was socked with three class-action suits. All of these companies, furthermore, have incestuous relationships with the Republican party.

The burden of proof isn't on citizens to prove a conspiracy. The burden is on the states to provide machinery that works; since they haven't done this, they're in the same category as your boss. The difference is...you can quit your job, but we can't quit the electoral system.

"Homeland Security spokesman Russ Knocke said Wednesday there is no specific or credible intelligence to indicate U.S. transit systems are being targeted, and he described the notice, sent Tuesday, as a routine reminder for transit authority operators, state security advisers and police to remain on guard."

Our nemesis Blackwell is a busy guy in the 6th circuit. No wonder he needs those Ohio coins and pension monies. He is spending major money defending lawsuits against him by most every political party, except republicans. I have compiled a list for your viewing pleasure:

Hi Peg C, in the cosmic sea, yes, that's what they explained to me. On the other hand, true love can make a blade of grass stand up straight and tall. Whom ya gonna believe - Dylan or anyone else??? When, at last, are we all actually going to act, as in physically excising the cancer??? I'll meet you at the Statue of Liberty at noon on the third Saturday after the war is over, OK? I'll be the dood in the tinfoil hat

If this is what it takes to get paper ballots and hand counts, then maybe it will not be a complete disaster. We need to start articulating, over and over, that the solution to providing transparency and verifiability is simple: paper ballots and hand counts, especially of federal elections and statewide elections. If it requires simplifying ballots, then that is what must be done.

Dredd #3 - Iím not surprised that Sen. Grassley would want a soviet style oversight of the Supreme Court. He was involved in a back and forth letter writing session with a scientist who was trying to reason with him about the exit poll/voting result sham of the 2004 election asking him to require Edison/Mitofsky to release the results of the poll.

At one point the scientist exclaims that he and 9 other scientists who released a report about the impossible likelihood of the results were ďnot stupidĒ. Grassley is unfazed and repeatedly sends letters back saying everythings just fine. I found it to be one of the most maddening things I have ever read about the affair.

Well, Blackwell pulled a quick one in Clermont County (near Cincinnati) also. When the PubliTrash election board locked the only Dem assistant supervisor out, our SOS was called and he refused to act. In Ohio the BOE MUST have both parties overseeing the final counts.